Sailing with a smile
by SmielyTrev
Summary: A One Piece tale based years before the main events. It follows the pirate Johannes and his search for a crew, a life of crime and infamy and fun.


Moments before the infamous pirate, known throughout the entire world as the "Pirate King" Gol D. Roger was executed in front of hundreds of curious and innocent peering eyes. He released one small amount of information that would change the entire world, one small sentence and he inspired more than one generation to come. This information was that he had left absolutely all his treasure in "that place" and issued a challenge to all would be pirates that came after him, to "Search for it" Thus started the "Great pirate era".

But what about the days before the "Great pirate era" when pirates roamed the seas in search of their own fame and glory, where they didn't wish to waste their lives away chasing after someone else's possessions. This is a story that precedes the "Great pirate era" by 80 years. The story of a pirate crew who would come to shake the very fabric of the world forever. This is the story of the Gleeful pirates.

Chapter One:

A gleeful celebratory banter filled a large bar, located on one of south blues many islands. The majority of the males in the bar (there were only males in the bar) were on blissful glee. They each held a cup or bottle of sake and were leaning against each other, relying on their fellow mate just to stay upright. Several of them were all joining together in song. It was all out of time and sung in a very sluggish and drunken manner. But it was the kind of singing that brought their kind of people together even in most trying of times. "Their kind of people" being _pirates_. However amongst the two dozen or so, gleeful and foolish men there was another man.

He could be told apart from all the others due to the various distinctive signs. He wore a light grey doublet under a large blue coat that went down to his knees. This coat was adorned gold coloured shoulder pads and a large smiling face printed on the back of it. The smiley was of a sort of demonic clown, it only had eyes and a mouth, the eyes were blank, yet they gave off a eerie feeling of malice to whomever viewed it, and the mouth went from where each ear should have been, the smile was more of a grin that revealed more than two rows of razor sharp teeth.

He had shoulder length, messy electric copper hair that was kept back in a pony tail, two bangs still hung out though over his face. He wore what perhaps once would have been classy (and clean) dirty white pants, however his feet were bare. His most distinctive features were the smiley imprints, or scars as other might have thought. He had one on each cheek, one in the middle of each palm and one on the sole of each foot. They were encircled no bigger than the base of a glass. They looked as if they had been cut into his skin, yet would never heal up. The smiley's were the exact same as the one he donned on his coat. On the belt of his pants was a fin shaped sheath, this held a sickle in it. It had a wooden handle that had a stone carving of the smiley at the end of it.

The man was grinning in a nearly identical to the smiley that seemed to clad him.

This man sat against the bar, a table had been pulled up so that he could put his feet up on it while he leant in his chair, the bar supporting him. He certainly looked like the captain of this crew, but he really was not. There was another man who was standing only a few feet away from him, he was not as relaxed as the other man nearby him but he was not going to ruin the joyful mood by being outright serious, so he too had leant himself against the bar, putting all the weight on his left foot so to allow his right foot to lazily cross over his left leg and rest comfortably on his left foot.

Physically he was a behemoth compared to all others in the bar. He stood at nearly nine foot tall. He was also extremely muscular. His biceps were nearly the size of a regular man's head. He wore no clothing except for a long dark black skirt that went down his ankles. His face was covered by a black full head mask. The only exposed parts of the material were two very small eye holes. From them shone purple orbs. Strapped to his back was a massive blood stained axe that was easily as big as the male. His torso was covered in grotesque depictions of people being brutally mutilated. His breath was heavy and slow, like a monster waiting patiently for the next prey to come along.

However none of the others seemed bothered by this beast of a man, why should they when he was the one they followed? In the corner of the bar however, there were a group of men who were not so gleeful. They were all equipped with blades and guns, not entirely different from the pirates who had taken over the bar.

However this group of men, that numbered half a dozen. Were all looking down to the middle of their table, at two large posters. Posters that was all too familiar to those who viewed them in this world.

_Wanted Posters._ These posters were only put out for bounty hunters in the hopes that they would do the government's job. They had the name of the pirate at the top, with a picture of said wanted pirate so that bounty hunters could actually find and recognize their target. Most importantly down the bottom was the sum value of how much Belli the pirate was worth. This was also how bounty hunters seemed to measure a pirate's strength. The lower the bounty, weaker the pirate. So they said.

One poster read:

_{__**WANTED**__}_

There was then a photo of a blood covered, huge man swinging a large axe down towards what would have been the camera man. Again there was a bright purple glow from the eye sockets of the cloth.

_**DEAD OR ALIVE**_

_{__**DELGADO**__}_

_**25,OOO,OOO**_

_**Wanted for the slaughter and destruction of Fehal and Genon villages. For the destruction of a marine patrol ship and the murder of all marines on board. MARINE**_

The second poster read:

_**{WANTED}**_

The photo was of a young looking male who was looking at the camera with a small grin on his face and his tongue poking out. His palm was raised to the camera so that a scar in the shape of a smile could be clearly seen.

_**DEAD OR ALIVE**_

_**{JOHANNES}**_

_**2,550,000**_

_**For acts of piracy and the murder of marines. For the accomplice of the pirate Delgado. MARINE**_

The men all seemed focused on the poster of the man named Delgado. Indeed the man who was standing not even five meters away from them. They continually looked from the poster to the beast of a man. Every time their eyes laid on him, fear would begin to creep into their hearts. These kind of people were known as bounty hunters. The very reason the wanted posters of pirates existed. Well other than bragging rights for some pirates.

This particular group of bounty hunters had been hunting down this pirate for a few weeks now. He had a good price on his head, and in the photo didn't seem like all that, besides they hadn't read the small description of how he came to get his bounty. But now when they had finally caught up with him and seen him in person, they were slightly re thinking their game plan.

'I thought that the picture would only make him look big' A bounty hunter who only had a large rifle strapped to his back said. For reference we shall call him **Precision Artist.**

'There is no way in hell that I am challenging him.' Another bounty hunter who had two small blades strapped to either side of his waist said. For reference we shall call him **Dual Artist.**

'Come on guys, perhaps he isn't as strong as he looks.' One bounty hunter who was spinning around two pistols said. For reference we shall call him **Rapid Artist**.

'We certainly outnumber him.' A bounty hunter who only had a long cutlass said. For reference we shall call him **Solo Artist.**

'Yes a couple of bounty hunters against an entire crew? I can certainly see how the odds are against him.' **Precision Artist** said.

'Well I meant…'

Two booming and nearly deafening noises drowned out the cheerful banter. They were gunshots, **Rapid Artist **was standing up, his arms held out straight, the pair of guns that he held were smoking from the ends of the barrel. All had gone quiet in the pub, no one dared to say anything. But all were frantically looking around, trying to locate where the bullets had gone and what exactly had happened. The only ones not frantically throwing their heads about trying to silently deduce what happened were **Delgado**, **Johannes** and **Rapid Artist**.

This silence lasted for about thirty seconds however. Then the giant of a man stood up fully, stretching his overly sized muscles as he went, each of his bones making a sick, yet intimidating crack as he did. It was **Solo Artist** who broke the silence with a:

'Oh shit…'

His voice trailed off as he and the rest of the bounty hunters saw the two bullet holes in the behemoths chest. A small trail of blood followed them, but other than that, the giant man seemed to not have been bothered at all. Suddenly an eruption of laughter consumed the silence. It was the pirates. The only pirate not to be wetting himself with amusement was the one who was leaning against the bar still, the one who could be identified as **Johannes**. His eyes held some genuine concern for the fate of these bounty hunters. But his expression did not give this away.

'Destroy them captain!'

'Yeah rip their spines out!'

Yet another uproar of laughter following these two statements; however the pirates were soon silenced by the noise of the wooden floor being smashed to pieces. The floor seemed to have opened up slightly where the massive axe of the giant had landed. The bounty hunters all stared at this, their expressions could no longer hide their fear.

'Did you come for my head?' **Delgado **said, his voice was every bit as intimidating as he looked. It was gruff and stern, it was the kind of voice that would make you obey, yet tremble at the same time.

'N-n-n' **Solo Artist **began to try choke out.

'Yes!' **Dual Artist **said with as much courage as he could muster up, but there was still a shaky tremble in his word.

The pirates all began to laugh again, but it was not an uproar like last time, it was a quiet almost secretive laughter. Each of them mocking the hunters, but fearing their captain at the same time. As for **Delgado**. He gripped his axe with a single hand and then swung it, almost as if it was nothing. With this action he took out nearly the entire front half of the pub. He took his leave from the pub and stood outside of it, which seemed to be the town square for that village.

All of the pirates that had been gleefully partying and singing had now began to gather around the bounty hunters, they had all armed themselves now and were laughing at the four men, throwing various insults and other vulgar words at them. They eventually lured the bounty hunters out of the pub and into the town square where they stood across from **Delgado. **The pirates all then retreated back into the half destroyed pub too watch the events to come.

'Well, guess we kind of have to fight.' Said **Precision Artist.**

'I always knew you would be the end of me.' Said **Dual Artist** to **Rapid Artist.**

'Well none of you were manning up!' Said **Rapid Artist **to **Dual Artist.**

'Oh! This is like that saying; Get rich or die trying' **Solo Artist** blurted out, he was scorned by all the others for this.

**Delgado** dropped his massive axe, creating a large metallic crash. This caught the attention of the bounty hunters who watched as the giant began to crack his knuckles and move closer to them.

'I will commend you for your bravery. But I am insulted. Four men? You should have brought an army.'


End file.
